Transcript - Episode 010 - The 3 Types of Recruiters
Episode 010
The Three Types of Recruiters
Do you know the three types of recruiters and what is specific to their skill set as well as how to build a relationship with them? Believe it or not, companies hiring corporate recruiters don't even make a difference between the types. Then within corporate recruiting there are sub-types based on the size of the organization. And again, companies don't delineate the difference on the practiced skills based on company needs.
Hi, I'm Daava Mills, The Rebellious Recruiter. I've worked as a temp recruiter, 3rd party recruiter, contract recruiter, and corporate recruiter. Each of these positions required a complete different set of skills. And it seems a lot of people don't talk about this angle of recruiting. So today? We are.
Grab a seat, and let's chat.
Intro music…
Back in 1996 I was a quote/un-quote contractor for a government agency. Being a contractor was a term that the employees with GS rankings used to mock those of us hired on through contracting agencies, and a reminder I didn't have the benefits they had. It also served as a budget barrier when RIFs (Reduction In Force) were enacted, contractors were cut first. It's part of the game. Sure enough, budget cuts came, and a few of us contractors on floor 4 were cut.
Prior to the cut I had been sent to a lot of classes to learn all the ins and outs of all the software I needed to use on a daily basis. To this day my knowledge of navigating Microsoft Word and Excel is pretty high thanks to these classes.
The next day I got a call from a friend of a friend. She was a sales manager for a temp service near me. I got dressed up, grabbed a clean copy of my resume, and went to the service for an appointment. Half-way through my interview, the branch manager walked in, picked up my resume and said, "can you start Monday?"
You see, their front desk person went out on emergency medical leave. So, while I wasn't truly recruiting, I was meeting people when they came in, I administered skills tests, I got frustrated calling the other branches to make appointments in paper planners, so I visited all the locations and hooked up Outlook between them so they could schedule for other people reducing phone calls. I also was bored one night while I was alone and while playing with a can of mace, shot one of our testing computers. Mace, melts plastic on computer monitors… in case you wanted to know. Anyway, a few weeks later the office manager returned, and I was offered the opportunity to pick any job listed in the database, and they would "send me out" to it. A send out is a term used, meant interview.
If you know me, I love a good challenge. And I found this job that turned over several people. hey had two owners, that were really the embodient of the odd couple. The Felix character was scaring off the temps, as so noted in the file. So I asked to be sent out on it. A week later I got the job offer.
So, I asked to be sent out on it. A week later I got the job offer.
Why do I tell this story? Because I got the job at the temp service due to my hard skill set. I got the job with the client, which was an office furniture company, because of my hard skill set. The temp service hired me because I understood how phone systems worked, and I was fully trained (thank you tax-payer dollars) on Microsoft products. The office furniture company eventually converted my contract to a regular employee.
That's how temp services work, generally speaking. They sent out someone who is presentable, and able to do the and skills of the job. Does the person present right? Can they type or assemble a widget using a diagram? Do they know how to use the phone system, or a forklift? Can they pass a drug test? Do they show up every day and are reliable? Voila, they start the next day, or within a week if the company needs to hire them. Companies like to use temp services for lower level positions when the ultimate goal is to hire because it's a great way to watch how the person performs over time. It allows the company to get the job done, while they evaluate the culture fit over time.
I left the Office Furniture job after a couple years to go into recruiting as a third-party recruiter. Enter a new way of recruiting.
Third party recruiters, or executive recruiters. These are the people who are paid on a contingency fee or retainer. They usually fill the position based on experience and culture fit. I entered this part of recruiting in 1999. The contracts are largely the same 20+ years later, the way they place the candidates largely the same, but the way they communicate with the candidate and get the candidate is very different.
So, what do they look at? Well, even 20 years ago, the average fee I was getting was around 20k per person. Now, the house got half, and I only recruited, I didn't do any client management, so my take was considerably less. But it gave me a good grounding for my career. We once had a client that made a big deal about a computer program needed, it was an estimating program commonly used in industrial construction. However, what they really needed was a killer field engineer that wanted to work 60 hours a week… in Hawaii. Let's be clear, finding someone who knew the computer program, that wasn't the issue. The long weeks in a state known for enjoying their R&R? That was the challenge.
However, they insisted on the program. I had the candidate that fulfilled their requirements, she had two degrees, one of which was an engineering degree, had her stamp, was getting her masters, and was bored working 40-hour weeks, and she was a local. She didn't have the exact experience they were looking for, but some companion experience. She had a different program for estimating she used. I got on the phone with the hiring managers… they said they heard we had a local, which I replied I did, but she didn't have the program (i.e. hard skill). Sure enough, they weren't interested in the program after all, they were more interested in the fringe skills (soft skills) … because they could teach her how to do their type of construction, and they could teach her a computer program.
See the difference there? If this was a temp or contract job, it becomes more immediate, and more about what the candidate can do now. When it's what is referred to as perm-placement (a term I abhor because no one is permanent) it becomes more about the long-term prospect, and training is part of the commitment. Those candidates are usually looked at very differently, and the immediate cost is usually looked at as a long-term investment by the company.
That brings us to Corporate Recruiting. When I first found my way into corporate recruiting, I had taken a year off. Actually, I had a vicious non-compete, and two of my friends and former co-workers got into a legal battle over the non-compete. I wasn't even allowed to fill out an I-9. So, I did what anyone does when they need benefits. I dumped my expensive car payment for an older used car and got a job at Starbucks. One of my drive through regulars got a job as a corporate recruiter, and we started talking. My non-compete was up, and she had a lead a few days later. Came zooming through the drive through. A week later, I had accepted a job offer, and I entered the world of HR… The world I had been taught to hate as a third-party recruiter. HR was our nemesis. I was about to learn why.
As I cut my teeth, in corporate recruiting, I learned there were very few similarities in presenting candidates. That's where I started seeing the psychology of paying for the $50-dollar hamburger play out. As a corporate recruiter going into sales mode on hiring managers, is not appreciated. I also saw what happened when I went from having 10-15 open positions at any given time, and it shot up to 65. Then later to over 100. Looking back, I realized, and I've talked with executives, this is an unrealized part of corporate recruiting. There are really three types:
The Full-Cycle Recruiter
The Recruitment Project Manager
The Recruitment Program Manager
So, let's break these down. Be aware that the first two types of recruiters can have any level of experience, the 3 level is definitely at a senior level in their career. And each of these types of recruiters interface regularly with Temp Recruiters and Third-Party Recruiters.
The Full-Cycle Recruiter
This is the person who might write the job description after consulting with the hiring manager, but for sure they post the jobs, manage the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), does pre-screening, possible phone screening, setting up of interviews, sitting in most or all interviews, reference checks, offer extensions, and coordination for first day of work, and sometimes new hire orientation. These recruiters typically handle 10-15 openings at any given time, some can handle a little more. BUT… once they hit 20 on a regular basis that becomes more the…
Recruitment Project Manager
Often, this type of recruiter is assigned to a division or skill specialty (but not always). They have about 20-50 openings at the same time, sometimes they are all different, sometimes it's 5 different positions but they are dealing with constant turn-over. These recruiters will rely a bit more on automation, they generally are not ATS administrators, they don't write job descriptions. They might do phone screens. They'll definitely forward the best candidates (paper screened or phone screened) to the hiring manager, get feedback, schedule interviews, be the go between for communication, send rejection notices, they will most likely activate offer letters, and do references or activate a reference checking service to collect references, they'll schedule the candidate for drug screens, and send them information about where to go for their first day of work.
Like I said earlier, both these types of recruiters can be early in their career or later in their career. Personally, for me, I didn't understand there was a shift to happen between the two… And I got frustrated because I couldn't keep up as my desk was growing. Looking through postings for companies when they want to add to their team, many don't see the difference either. If you are part of a growing organization, it's really important to understand there is a skill shift between these two types of openings. Or determine if you need more full cycle to keep it from affecting departmental ROI. Something else not typically talked about.
The third type, the Recruitment Program Manager
Again, this type is not called out either, but these are high level recruiters typically working for very large, and often international organizations. They might be managing 80 openings. They are often ATS Administrators, they negotiate with vendors, create recruitment programs, look at data, figure out what works. Those are very high-level bullet points and believe me their day is packed with that information. They are behind making the engine run. Many times, they don't have direct reports, or even a manager title. But they are doing some amazing things.
As you build out what your recruiting needs are, take the time to look at what you need accomplished, how you want this person to interact with your team. Be aware that if you are hiring a third-party recruiter into a corporate position, they are trained to sell, and that my drive your staff nuts. So, what processes do you need to put in place to ensure that there is effective communication between your staff and the recruiter. Then look at the recruiter’s resume, and just like with the temp service vs. third party service… are you looking for hard skills? Or are you looking for the soft skills. What on their resume indicates they might have that? What facts in their interview shows you how they do the job, and what flexibility they may have towards changes as your company grows?
And last thing, recruiters, by nature, love to improve things… Don't be surprised if they try to improve the hiring process starting with how they apply.
Remember when I spoke about HR being recruiting’s nemesis? I stated in the last episode about the postmortem that HR spends revenue, Operations makes revenue, and recruiters sit on the fence of it. Nothing frustrates a recruiter worse than limits around finding the right people who are qualified. Believe me when I tell you, most recruiters want the business to succeed, they are motivated by identifying the right talent. And they don’t like processes that don’t make sense. Too many processes in recruiting that we place on the candidate, create a huge issue for recruiters. We’ll continue to explore the why’s of that. Like I’ve stated in other episodes, a lot of recruiters don’t see themselves as HR.
Keep these tips in mind when you are either seeking supplemental help, or you are ready to add a recruiter to your team.
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It’s great to meet you and thank you for listening. I know you only have so many hours in the week, and I am grateful to spend this time with you. Until then, make it a great day! See you on the flip side.